According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Association (NHTSA) there were 7.1 million motorcycles registered in the USA in 2007. There were 5,154 motorcycle fatalities nationwide from motorcycle accidents. This is unacceptable. Motorcycles are a threat to everyone, even people who don’t own them, because along with those 5,154 deaths were more than 84,000 injuries from the accidents. When you see a motorcycle, you should get away from it as soon as you can, since you never know when that driver will do something unpredictable and hurt you.

And let’s look at the type of person who would buy a motorcycle. Only people who want to look tough, and probably want to be in a gang. You’ve never heard of “station wagon gangs” have you? No, just “motorcycle gangs.” It’s a status symbol, meant to intimidate others. No one who gets a motorcycle gets one just for the enjoyment of getting a bike. If they aren’t thugs, they are wanna-be thugs.

Motorcycle owners also congregate in mass rides that take over the road, and sometimes even have gatherings in towns to show off their bikes. Those gatherings are dangerous as well. They say that the gatherings are just to get together and enjoy a similar interest, but really they are plotting illegal activities or training for them. Because if they weren’t, why would all these people need to get together?You may be thinking “it’s possible to be a responsible motorcycle owner.” No, it isn’t. Just wanting one proves that you are a dangerous individual, willing to put the public and even your own family at risk. Motorcycles should be banned, and anything that resembles a motorcycle should be banned as well. If you own a motorcycle you should have to have a permit that is displayed on your house so that everyone in your area knows that you have a dangerous vehicle and are willing to put the entire community at risk.

Sound stupid? Of course it does. We don’t ban motorcycles because a very small percentage of motorcycles are in accidents, or because a very small percentage of motorcycle owners are involved in criminal activity. Motorcycles are legal, as they should be. Illegal behavior is, well, illegal and should be dealt with on a case by case basis based on the actions of the person who owns the motorcycle.

So, now replace “motorcycle” with “Pit Bull” and it’s the exact same nonsense… well except for the owner / fatality numbers. While the number of registered American Pit Bull Terriers / American Staffordshire Terriers is up for debate (the three main registries – AKC, UKC and ADBA will not release their total number of registered dogs in those breeds, though estimates put the number of dogs in the three registries over 5 million) one number is not up for debate – the number of people killed by dogs in 2007 was 33 (just to keep the year consistent). There are NO reliable numbers for dog bites or injuries, regardless of what the news says, because though it is required by law in many states to report dog bites, that is not enforced, nor can it be. Even the CDC bite statistics (the most commonly quoted statistics) are flawed, and the CDC itself says that they are unreliable. “There is currently no accurate way to identify the number of dogs of a particular breed, and consequently no measure to determine which breeds are more likely to bite or kill.” (from the CDC website)

So, the next time you hear talk about banning dogs – of any breed – because of “public danger” backup a moment and remind them of all the people killed by motorcycles every year… and then encourage them to stop at the nearest biker bar and let express their feelings.

Just imagine if we started getting rid of people because of what they might do based on their skin color or body type...exact And for those of you who are saying "Well, a motorcycle can't turn itself on and do something without a person riding it," I used a motorcycle in this example because people would flip out if I named a specific human ethnicity instead... however the logic (or lack thereof) is the same.

Michelle

Inside me is a thin woman trying to get out. I usually shut the bitch up with a martini.